Charmed
by Little Fuji
Summary: Slight AU, before Ling appears. Al suggests something, Ed is forced to follow through, and Roy is amused. Wrote this under an hour to relieve some boredom, makes for some light reading. Reviews are loved, and enjoy!


* * *

"But Nii-san," Al persisted, moving closer to his brother in order drown out the hum of the bustling marketplace. "It's a thoughtful idea, and it might bridge the relationship between you and Colonel Mustang..." He trailed off hopefully.

"Okay, Al, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Ed's cheeks betrayed him by reddening slightly, but his tone had an air of finality. "Now let's go, before that bastard accuses us of sightseeing instead of researching rumors."

* * *

Roy put down the pen he had absent-mindedly been flipping between his fingers, scanning the topmost page of a report he was supposed to go through several days ago. The harder he tried to concentrate, the worse the rows of print seemed to blur into each other. Finally, Roy gave up and sighed, leaning into his chair and massaging his temples.

_It was the pantry's fault,_ Roy thought crossly._ They forgot to top up the coffee dispenser. How on earth was he supposed to function without his daily dose of caffeine?_ Upon seeing Roy's state of mind that morning, Hawkeye had immediately left to search for a cup of hot aromatic coffee for her superior.

His fingers began to tap a restless tune on his desk. Without much thought, Roy rested his head on his desk and closed his eyes. _A nap will help. Until Hawkeye comes back with my coffee._ And he promptly fell asleep.

* * *

Roy had been knocked out for a good five minutes before the door to his office burst open with force nearly enough to make it fly off its hinges, together with a strangled yell of "MUSTANG YOU IDIOT!"

The man jerked his head up instantly, feeling annoyed for being so rudely woken up. Squinting against the light, he could a fuming young alchemist and his apologetic little brother standing at the doorway.

"What the HELL, you bastard Colonel, you cut my allowance into _half_?! Why wasn't I informed beforehand?! Al and I nearly got thrown into_ jail _for failing to pay for food and lodging in Xing!" Ed raged, waving his hands around in frustration.

_The little tyke is here to stir up trouble again, eh? Bring it on._ "The trail of destruction you left at the Amestrian border was quite extensive, Fullmetal. Much more than your tiny brain can comprehend, I'd say."

"WHO YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT--" Ed's further words were muffled as Al restrained his brother from throwing himself at his superior. "Nii-san, calm down, you're disturbing the others!"

"Hmph." Ed relaxed and sank into the nearby couch sullenly, glaring at his superior. "You know, you're such a pain in the-- wait." The golden-eyed alchemist's face twisted into a grin. "Weren't you sleeping on the job when I came in? So_ sorry_ I interrupted you, Colonel Mustang."

"Stop wasting my time," Roy yawned and straightened himself, suddenly businesslike. "Any news about the Philosopher's Stone in Xing?"

"Uh, well... No," Ed admitted, shoulders slumping in disappointment. "Turned out it was an unfounded rumor."

Roy nodded gravely. "Alright. I still expect a report from you on my desk by tomorrow. You may leave."

Ed grunted in acknowledgement, stomping towards the door.

Al didn't move.

"Al, what are you waiting for?" Ed called irritatedly from the doorway.

"Nii-san, you forgot to do something."

"Oh, that. Right."

The state alchemist stomped back into the office, rooting in his pockets, found what he was looking for, and tossed the item onto Roy's desk. "With you sleeping on the job and all... you're probably going to need that. Well, not like I believe it works anyway," Ed said in a rush, cheeks reddening slightly.

"What's this, Fullmetal, a... _souvenir_?" Roy sounded incredulous, eyebrows raised disbelievingly at the little pouch charm on his desk. It was bright red, with a dragon pattern embroidered on the front. "Are you suffering from a head injury by any chance, Fullmetal?"

"Don't look at me like that," Ed snapped, flushing deeper in embarrassment.. "Just-- Al wanted a charm with a panda on it, and the Xingian vendors only sold these in pairs. This one came with it," he muttered, avoiding Roy's amused glance. "Oh for god's _sake_. Whatever it is, just give me back my allowance, god-fucking-dammit." With that, Ed stalked out of Roy's office, a giggling Al trailing behind him.

Shaking his head in wonder at his subordinate's sometimes-bewildering actions, Roy picked up the charm and turned it between its fingers. Some words were embroidered at the back, Roy noticed absently, running a finger over the stitches.

_"For luck in career"_

The man tucked the charm safely into a uniform pocket and resumed his nap, suddenly feeling warm.


End file.
